Derinkuyu underground city
known as Melogobia in ancient times. Its history dates back to BC. in the world; It has also been included in the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List.
Due to the geographical features of the Cappadocia region, the volcanic tuff rock blocks are highly resistant to being easily shaped, and thanks to its porous structure, it has allowed air passage, and has been heat-insulated for a long time. They realized that it was easy to shape and tested its durability, but how did they decide to live underground? Although it is not known exactly when Derinkuyu underground city was built, it is known that they preferred to live underground due to the necessity of the period.
In the 2nd century, when the Roman Empire did not adopt Christianity as an official religion, the first Christians who escaped persecution and oppression came to Kayseri via Mesopotamia and then to Cappadocia. The underground city, which also reflects the traces of the Assyrian colonies, was built by the Roman soldiers in BC and the Persians in the 3rd century AD after the prohibition of Christianity. It is estimated that it was used and developed to protect itself from Persian attacks and then from Arab raids in the 6th century AD – to take shelter and to worship freely. Many underground cities were built in order to be protected from threats that may come in Cappadocia, to shelter and to worship. The eagle statue made of marble, which was found as a result of the researches carried out in the Derinkuyu underground city, which is one of them, proves that Derinkuyu was used by Roman Christians.
The underground city, which also reflects the traces of Assyrian colonies, was found by a resident of a house in Nevşehir, who had the basement of his house renovated. After demolishing the wall of the basement, he encounters a large room and when he enters the room and switches to another room, he thinks that the rooms are connected to each other like a chain. The city, which was discovered by chance in 1963, was brought to tourism in 1967 and opened to visitors.
Derinkuyu underground city is located in the Cappadocia region of Nevşehir and is the largest underground city in the region. It is estimated that the fairy chimneys, which have become the symbol of Cappadocia, are 85 meters below and have the capacity to hold 20,000 people together. In addition, a network structure in which huge underground cities are formed by connecting about 200 other small underground cities in the region with tunnels is considered.
Derinkuyu underground city got its name from 52 water wells located 60-70 meters deep. Derinkuyu underground city, the largest and most detailed in the Cappadocia region, has 8 floors and is estimated to have 12-14 floors in total. It is thought that the 12-14 floors can accommodate an estimated total capacity of 50,000 inhabitants. The depth of the ventilation shaft in Derinkuyu underground city is 40 meters and the depth of the water well on the 7th floor is 85 meters. The depth of the 8 floors that you can visit now is 50 meters and the area to be visited is 2,500 square meters.
The entrance to Derinkuyu underground city is hidden so that it cannot be easily noticed. To enter the city, you have to pass through the corridor, which is 5 meters long. They provided the connection with tunnels to pass from the rooms to the rooms. While these tunnels are sometimes quite narrow and low for one person, sometimes they are wide enough for two people to walk easily. Very large and heavy stone cylinders were used to ensure the safety of the tunnels. You can see the ventilation shaft, which is the most interesting feature of Derinkuyu underground city, on every floor. Thanks to this ventilation chimney, there was no shortage of oxygen and it was also used as an elevator.
ON THE FIRST FLOOR: It is the closest floor to the earth. There are places such as barn, kitchen, rooms, winery (where the wine is produced), ventilation shaft and meeting hall.
ON THE SECOND FLOOR: On this floor, we see the ventilation shaft, the barn and the kitchen again. In addition, there are sections such as a food warehouse, rooms and kitchen.
THIRD FLOOR: There is a missionary school and its ceiling is covered with a barrel vault, there are classrooms, a church, confessional places, baptismal pool and burial chambers. This floor was mostly used for religious purposes.
FOUR FLOOR: There are water wells, cisterns, dungeons and burial chambers for those sentenced to prison, after which the city is named.
FIFTH FLOOR: The center of the air shaft, which is connected to the other floors, is located. There are also rooms and passage tunnels.
ON THE SIXTH FLOOR: There are 5 rooms and passage tunnels used by the people living here, either individually or as a family.
ON THE SEVENTH FLOOR: The largest area of the underground city is the church on this floor, the meeting hall, the water well, the priest’s tomb and the prison.
The EIGHTH FLOOR: The Eighth Floor is the last point of the air shaft. It is the last room that can be descended for now.
If we had not visited with a guide, it is certain that we would have difficulty in finding the exit from the tunnels.
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